Weightlifters understand back pain well. Weightlifters can avoid pain and strain by using a variety techniques including foam rolling and modified positions. There are no guarantees your neck and back will be 100% protected if you lift heavy weights. Even powerlifters with a lot of training in pain management and orthopedists may be diagnosed with herniated disks.
What is a herniated disc?
A herniated disk is when the gel-like capsules between our vertebrae become inflamed, or slips out of their place. A herniated spinal disc may not be felt by some patients. A disc can also cause pain in the surrounding tissues or spinal nerves. This can make it more difficult for weightlifters to lift weights efficiently and lead to chronic pain. The disc can compress the spinal nerve, causing numbness and tingling in the limbs.
What causes a herniated spinal cord?
Weightlifters can inflict disc damage on their spines by straining their backs. Your back can be injured by lifting more weight than your legs using your back muscles. Deadlifting is the most common exercise that can result in herniated disks.
What is the difference between a Disc Herniation and a Bulge?
A disc herniation may involve 25% or less disc matter (nucleus pulposus), while disc bulges can contain more than 25%. It is true. It might seem strange to you. Many people know that herniations can cause more problems than bulges. The reason is that herniations are not more than 25% of the disc’s circumference, but they are more likely to compress nerve roots because of the extra displacement of matter.
How about deadlifts or herniated Discs?
Although it is cool to understand all the anatomical terms, they are not relevant. Why? It doesn’t tell you if you can deadlift with a herniated disk! An MRI is not necessary if you have back pain. Because you can’t deadlift if your back is hurt, you don’t need an MRI. These tips can be used to quickly relieve back pain. You may still be able to deadlift if your MRI shows a bulging or herniated disc. The main takeaway from this article is that MRIs cannot tell you what type of treatment you should receive and they can often give you more “normal” results. Programming and loading should be based on your feelings, not what your MRI says. These “normal” findings are discussed below.
Herniated and bulging discs are more common than you might think.
If you are 30 years old, and you have no back pain, you have a 30% chance of having a low-back disk herniation. If you’re in your 40s, and you don’t have back pain, it’s more likely that you have a disc bulge. You probably guessed it. Flip a coin if you are over 40 and have no back pain. A bulging disc could be a possibility.
Herniated and Bulging Discs HAPPEN
These are an inevitable part of aging. These are known as “wrinkles inside the inner”. Back pain could be caused by a bulging disc, herniated disc, or MRI. You can treat the problem and make your back healthier. Now is the right time to focus on what you CAN do. Increase strength, resilience, and tissue capacity
Herniated or Bulging discs can UN-HAPPEN
These wrinkles, which can be described as “wrinkles within”, are similar to herniated and bulging discs. You’re correct. After about one year, discs might stop herniating.
This represents a 96% disc sequestration rate, 76% disc extrusion rate, and 41% disc protrusion/disc bulging respectively. This is encouraging news. This is another reason to feel confident. Rehab is not something that happens overnight.
Red Flags
Let’s do some research before you start doing random deadlifts with a injured disc. Cauda Equina, cancer/tumor and other serious spinal conditions are all possible.
These are called red flags. These include, but not limited to:
- Recent history of trauma injuries
- Saddle paresthesia is pain/numbness in the inner or genital thighs.
- Unintentional weight loss or fever that causes back pain
- Control loss of bladder/bowel control
- A shooting pain or numbness in both legs.
- Loss of movement in the legs
You should seek immediate medical attention if you experience any red flag signs or symptoms. The good news is that you can deadlift with a herniated spinal spine if you don’t have any red flag symptoms.
Numbness or pain in one leg
Deadlifting is not recommended for those suffering from unrelenting pain or numbness in the legs. Seek medical attention. How about pain on one leg or numbness? This is known as “sciatica” and is quite common. It can feel like tightness in your hamstrings. This could be caused by a herniated disc pressing on nerve roots. It is not something you want to do if you find yourself in this position. It is something you want to do. It is a good idea to train hip hinge variations you can tolerate and do not cause leg pain. Training with a restricted range of motion could be necessary, such as rack pulls and block pulls. You can also continue to train your squats, lunges, and other movements to tolerance so long as you don’t have leg tightness or pain. This article will give you some guidelines for training with pain. There are several exercises that can be done to relieve leg pain. To reduce pain, you can use sciatic nerve flossing drills or neo-plumbing techniques.
Push Up
Your low back could be the cause of the pain in one side. The best way to relieve the pain is to lie down on your stomach and perform a push-up, keeping your hips lower. Do this for 10 reps and see how your leg feels. If your leg doesn’t hurt, this exercise may be a good one. Do 2-3 sets of 10 reps daily to reduce leg pain. You can bombard your body with great music. Forward bending and other painful actions will then slow down. You can also try the modified prone pressing onto your elbows if you are having trouble doing the full press-up. Then you can move on to the full prone presses with your elbows locked.
Relaxation of the Sciatic Nerve
Sciatic nerve flossing can be used to relieve leg pain. It works like this: Instead of pressing down on the sciatic nerve, and forcing through a hamstring stretch to get it moving, move your head and leg together and help the nerve move better.
These are the positions:
- Lift your leg, look up (knee extension or cervical extension).
- Bend your knees, and extend your neck by looking down (knee flexion or cervical flexion).
- They should be as painless as possible and as easy as you can. Do not get mad at your leg. The goal is to be healthy.
You can also lie down on your stomach if this is easier. Alternatively, you can do the supine version by bringing your knee towards your chest. Next, raise your leg until you feel your ankle is light. You can see my video to understand how I mean it. You can do both for 10 reps several times per day. If you feel your symptoms are getting worse, or flossing and pressing up is not working, consult a professional physiotherapist.
The Big Picture: Deadlifts and Sciatica
These are some ways to deal with sciatica following a deadlift. You can avoid this pain by using a deadlift that doesn’t duplicate it. This is not something you want to do. If you can’t find a hip-hiding variant that doesn’t cause leg pain, you might have to temporarily stop doing hip hinging exercises. As long as your legs aren’t hurting, you can continue to squat and lunge until you feel comfortable.
No Leg Pain…Just a Disc problem on MRI
If you have back pain that is not accompanied by leg pain and your MRI shows a disc bulge/herniation then you’re in luck. To heal a herniated disc, you can perform deadlifts. Many medical professionals and rehab facilities still believe it will worsen the situation. Deadlifts can be good for your back. Poorly executed or programmed deadlifts can inflict injury. It is essential to know the best hip hinge variants and dosages for backache. This will help to improve your health and stimulate strength and hypertrophy. This is done by finding your entry point exercise. This is the deadlift variant you feel most comfortable with. These are just a few suggestions. If you are able to deadlift at a reasonable level, congratulations! Start with the deadlift. RDLs are an option if you have difficulty lifting from the floor or feel too nervous.
Dumbbell RDLs are a good place to start
Are you experiencing back pain? Are you experiencing leg pain but no back pain? Dumbbell RDLs may be right for you. Dumbbells are much easier to lift than a barbell. The dumbbells can be lowered as far as you feel comfortable. As you raise the dumbbells, don’t forget to keep them close by your side. This is a great method to improve hip hinge patterns. It can be done in three to four sets of 8-12. These are great for your hamstrings and spinal extension strength.
Get to the Deadlift of Your Choice
You can attempt a deadlift variant if you are confident that you have mastered DB RDL. It is possible to restrict your motion while deadlifting and repairing herniated disks. Rack pulls and block pulling are also possible, as we’ve already covered in this article. Alternately you can choose from trap bar, conventional or sumo deadlift. Your spine is less stressed by trap bar deadlifts and sumo deadlifts. Because they move your center point closer towards the weight, this is why they are less stressful. Conventional deadlifts can be more damaging to the spine than traditional ones. Conventional may be the best choice if you want to force your spine to adapt. You can try all three to find the one that works best for you.
How to Bring It All Together
Now you should be able determine if your disc has been damaged and if you can still lift. To help you get started, I have created a flowchart.
- Red flags should always be screened. You should immediately screen for red flags. Don’t deadlift
- A deadlift exercise is a good option to reduce the pain/numbness in one leg. To ease the pain, you can also do prone presses and flossing. If you are stuck, consult a local physical therapist.
- Do not be alarmed if you do not feel leg pain/numbness or any other symptoms that could indicate a disc bulge. Find your hip hinge entry points and increase your tolerance. This will allow you to decrease pain and increase strength.
Here are five tips to prevent common back injuries while lifting.
TRAIN YOUR POSTURE
Poor form can increase the chance of injury while doing any type of exercise. To avoid putting too much pressure on any one bone, align your vertebrae correctly when you are working on your back. If you’re just beginning to lift weights, don’t try to imitate others. Consult a trainer to better understand your body. It doesn’t matter if you have a higher fitness level, it is still important to check on your form. It’s a good idea to regularly recalibrate and stop bad habits from leading you to injury.
Recognize THE RISKS
Lifting weights that require forward bending or backward bending or flexion (forwardbending) of your joints puts you at risk. These movements can often be accompanied by sprains. These injuries can include a tear or rupture of a ligament. However, they can also lead to more severe injuries. Extreme extension can lead to spondylolysis, or cracks in the vertebrae. A herniated disc can be caused by excessive flexion.
These risks go beyond back exercises. The most common weightlifting-related cause of herniated discs is the deadlift, which — when done properly — doesn’t depend on back flexion or extension for power, but when done incorrectly, puts a dangerous amount of pressure on the vertebrae. Deadlifting can also lead to lumbar stenosis and degenerative disc disease.
KNOW WHEN TO STOP
After working out tomorrow, you might feel a twinge. It is easy to ease the pain by stretching and getting some rest. Stressing the area can lead to more problems. Don’t ignore any warning signs that your body may be giving you. Listen to your body. A pulled back is different than a tired muscle burn. If you don’t want to weaken your body, “no pain, no gain” won’t work. If your back hurts, you should stop lifting.
MODIFY YOUR ROUTE
To support your back while you work out, I recommend that you wear a weightlifting belt. If you have difficulty with any movement, you can always take the belt off. Many lifts include one or more exercises that target the same muscles, but don’t cause you the same pain.
STRETCH
While proper posture is something that you can learn, it takes extra effort to put it into practice. A skilled trainer will tell anyone that regular stretching is crucial for sustained lifting. Talk to an orthopedic specialist to build a strong and resilient back. You can work together to create a stretching program that will keep your back strong for future challenges. For maximum results, stretch both before and after each lift session.